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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24168721">Baby, You’re A 10</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vaderisbae/pseuds/Vaderisbae'>Vaderisbae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Based on a Tumblr Post, Canon Compliant, Drabble, Endgame Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, F/F, I am Supercorp Trash, I don't actually have a plan for this fic, It just kind of happened, Lena Luthor Finds Out Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Lena Luthor-centric, Lena can see numbers over people's heads, Lesbian Lena Luthor, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Supercorp for life, Tumblr Prompt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:47:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,466</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24168721</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vaderisbae/pseuds/Vaderisbae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Previously titled “Numbers”</p><p>Lena Luthor is many things: a genius, an incredibly savvy business woman, the heir to a corporate empire. She is also an exceptional judge of character, supernaturally so. Lena was born with the ability to see how dangerous a person is on a scale from 1-10. The most dangerous person she'd ever met was her brother, Lex, who topped out as an 8 at his worst. One day two people walk into her building, glowing black 10s hanging above their heads.</p><p>OR</p><p>Supercorp fic based on this <a href="https://yashaisbae.tumblr.com/post/617916588195233792/la-knight-blackoutace-arixese">tumblr prompt</a>: "You’re a regular office worker born with the ability to “see” how dangerous a person is with a number scale of 1-10 above their heads. A toddler would be a 1, while a skilled soldier with a firearm may score a 7. Today, you notice the reserved new guy at the office measures a 10."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Danvers &amp; Kara Danvers, Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Kara Danvers &amp; Clark Kent, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>556</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Ten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lena always had an excellent sense for a person’s character. So excellent, in fact, that it was almost supernatural. Her knack for judging someone’s intentions was uncanny and always, always correct. Little did anyone know, her talent was indeed more than human. Since she had been born, Lena had been able to see a physical representation of everyone’s capacity to be a danger to her. This ability began as an orb of color hovering over their head, deep blue for the most harmless shifting through the color spectrum to red for the most dangerous. Once she learned to recognize and use numbers, the orb of color shifted to a number scale of 1 to 10, though she’d never met anyone above an 8. She learned young exactly what those numbers meant. Somehow, her mind had developed the ability to interpret an incredibly complex number of variables including everything from physical abilities to mental capacity to willingness to cause harm. Living with the Luthors had been a trial by fire in figuring out how to respond to these dangers and come out unscathed, well relatively so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her adoptive mother had hated her from the moment she entered the Luthor mansion. A glaringly red 8 blazed above her head, offsetting the icy disgust in her sneer. At 4 years old, Lena had never met anyone who had oozed such menace. She was instantly terrified of Lillian and the passing years did little to teach her differently. Instead of cowering though, she built up a facade of steel to guard herself against the constant degradation of her soul as the cold-hearted bitch did everything she could to destroy the innocent child, short of physical harm. Her only comfort had been the new brother that came with the evil stepmother. Lex, a carrot-orange 6 even at his young age, was kind and challenged her to perpetually do better. Genius recognizes genius, he would always say, usually as he executed a perfect checkmate in their game of chess. Lena quickly grew desperate to please her older sibling, craving the only source of approval in her new, bleak life. As the years passed, Lex’s aura shifted, growing darker, redder as his obsession with the recently revealed alien, Superman, grew. The 6 changed gradually to a 7, settling on a cherry-red 8 as his mania overwhelmed any sense of goodness lingering in his mind. The Irish orphan despaired at her brother’s descent into villainy even as she tried her best to pull him back into the light. She refused to accept that the only positive in her life could become so poisoned with irrational hate. It wasn’t until she was sitting tied to a chair in Lex’s office, bleeding sluggishly from a wound in her side caused by flying shrapnel from her brother’s catastrophic battle with the indestructible alien. Tears of despair and betrayal streamed down her bruised face as she watched a weakened Superman being beaten down under the bloody light of a reddened sun. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had blacked out before the battle was finished, waking up in a sterile, unfamiliar room smelling of industrial cleaners and filled with the steady beeping of various machines. Everything hurt, from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair. Memories flashed behind her eyes, Lex in his glowing green and purple suit laughing maniacally, a blue and red body crashing through cement walls, screaming for her brother to stop over the sounds of destruction. She shook her head to clear it of the clinging memories, regretting almost instantly as pain flooded through her brain. The door to her room clicked as someone wearing a white lab coat walked through, reading what she assumed was her chart. He looked up as he reached her bedside, a warm smile on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ms. Luthor, it’s good to see you awake. I’m Dr. O’Malley, I’ve been the one treating your injuries while you’ve been here. How are you feeling?” He seemed genuine and a cheerful blue-green 4 floated above his walnut brown hair. She assumed the number was so high because of how knowledgeable and skilled he was at his job. A good doctor could be dangerous if they were ever inclined to go against their Hippocratic Oath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lena tried to speak, but could only croak drylyl until Dr. O’Malley handed her a styrofoam cup with a straw. She drank deeply of the cool water and cleared her throat. This time her voice worked, though it was still raspy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, doctor. How long have I been here? What happened? Last thing I remember was Lex…” she trailed off and clenched her jaw at the painful memory of her brother’s betrayal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah yes, Lex. Well, I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that he’s in the deepest, darkest, max security prison they could throw him in. And Superman is just fine, full recovery and everything. As for you, you’ve been in a medical coma for about a week while recovering from a severe laceration to your abdomen and various contusions, including a concussion.” Lena felt vaguely ill at the list of her injuries. She knew she’d been through the wringer during the battle, but she hadn’t realized how bad it really was. The concussion would at least account for the lost time between then and now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I appreciate your care, Dr. O’Malley. I am sure you have done a wonderful job. When will I be discharged? Unfortunately I have a rather large mess of a company to restructure. I don’t have the luxury of lounging in bed while what’s left of my family’s legacy must be salvaged.” Lena pushed down her various aches and pains as she sat up in bed and started pulling off wires attaching her to the monitors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, wait, no,” O’Malley stopped her attempts to disentangle from the machines, firmly placing his hands on her and stilling her movements, “I’m afraid you aren’t cleared to leave yet. You have extensive injuries, Ms. Luthor, and we can’t let you go until we can be sure you aren’t going to hurt yourself worse. Look, I had to stitch together your insides. You are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> ready to leave yet.” His face was concerned, but firm as he rearranged her pillows and pushed her to lay back against them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lena grudgingly agreed, hiding the wince as sharp pain shot through her stomach. The doctor continued counseling her on how long she might have to stay and what kind of physical therapy to expect once she’s more recovered. Lena tuned him out as she mulled over everything she had to do now that her brother was in prison and her mother had supposedly disappeared, seeing as how she hadn’t already had Lena taken to their private clinic for treatment. Lilian had little respect for any form of public healthcare. With her father dead and all remaining Luthors out of commission, she would have full control over Luthor Corp. As much as she hated what Lex had done, she was excited at the prospect of rebranding and pushing the company towards a brighter future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----------------------------------------------------------------</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Two months later</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lena strode confidently into the National City branch of LuthorCorp. Self-assurance flowed from her perfectly glossy raven hair, sharp black pantsuit, and 6 inch pumps as she crossed the lobby to her personal elevator. None of the nervousness strumming in her chest showed on her aquiline features. Growing up a Luthor taught one to always maintain control, no matter the situation. Once the elevator doors closed in front of her, her impeccable posture dropped slightly and she took a deep breath. Soon after being released from the hospital, she’d made the executive decision to transfer LuthorCorp headquarters from Metropolis to National City in an effort to distance herself from her family’s tainted legacy. The change had been rocky in the beginning, but Lena was anything if not stubborn. The other members of the board had fought tooth and nail against every proposed change, but were ineffectual at changing the Luthor’s mind. Lena had been dreaming of this opportunity since she was a child. She wasn’t going to let any old, white, man with an ego the size of a blimp dictate what she could or could not do with her company.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevator dinged on her floor and she straightened her shoulders once more, ever the picture of poised confidence. A very well put-together woman (a 2, Lena noted), black hair in a slick ponytail, greeted her as she stepped out of the lift, rapidly running through Lena’s schedule for the day while handing her a latte and escorting her to the office. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was her name? Jen, Joss, Jess. Jess, that’s it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Jess. Let me know when my first appointment arrives. Until then, I would appreciate it if you would prevent any further disturbances.” Lena was curt, but not unkind. This woman seemed to be quite capable, but Lena needed the time to work on her own. Her assistant seemed to understand and left the office, shutting the door quietly behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A huge wall of glass let in the bright morning sunlight, illuminating the white office brilliantly. Lena walked over to the glass wall and exited out onto the balcony. A beautiful view of the city met her green eyes, stretching all the way out to the glittering bay. She leaned against the rail and soaked in the moment of peace. She’d always liked National City, far more than Metropolis. It felt unsullied by her criminal family, like a new beginning where she could finally be free to be herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Venture launch was scheduled for today, Lena remembered. LuthorCorp had provided many of the prototype components for the vessel and so they had offered her a seat on its maiden voyage. Lena’s distaste for flying made her refuse the offer, but she was still excited to watch the launch. Space had fascinated her as much as aliens had disturbed her brother. The idea that a whole universe was out there, ready to explore and free from the oppression of her adoptive mother captured the young child’s mind. Her interest had remained throughout her adolescence, leading her to study aeronautics and engineering at MIT. Since then, her expertise had branched out, in part due to Lex, to cover all sorts of alien technologies and their conversion to human use. Lena already had a multitude of ideas floating around her brain, just waiting to be sketched out into blueprints. Returning to her glass desk, she dived into the piles of work awaiting her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Several hours later, Lena settled herself on her couch, kicking off her heels, a tumbler of good Irish scotch in hand, and turned the tv on her wall to the Venture launch. As the vessel flung itself into the atmosphere, she almost regretted turning down the opportunity. Maybe she’ll have to develop her own personal way into space. At least if she built it herself, she would know it wouldn’t fail her. The Venture was now only a speck in the sky, miles above them and just breaking through Earth’s thermosphere to the wide expanse of space. Suddenly, a bloom of fire lit up the sky where the Venture had disappeared. The newscasters scrambled to discover what had happened as the vessel plummeted towards the ground, trailing thick black smoke. Lena was frozen in horror on the couch, clutching her tumbler of whisky as her greatest fear materialized before her. The breath caught in her throat as she watched the Venture plunge downwards with no sign of the pilots’ regaining control. As it neared Earth, the news cameras were able to catch closeup glimpses of the craft, showing that at least one of the engines had blown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A flash of red and blue appeared on screen as the famed National City superhero, Supergirl, grabbed one of the wings in an attempt to slow the falling Venture. A twin flash came onto the screen holding onto the other wing. The two of them managed to slow the craft and set it down in a field some miles outside of the city. Lena finally felt as though she could breathe again as the Supers guided the Venture to a safe landing. THis had been her closest call since being in the hospital. Paranoia plagued her thoughts on her way home from the office and up to her spacious penthouse. She couldn’t help but think that this somehow was aimed at her, that Lex had arranged the deaths of tens of people just to get rid of his kid sister as payback for betraying him. It would be just like him to disregard any collateral damage in his single-minded quest for power. These concerns kept her tossing and turning all night and into the grey light of early morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She came into the office looking as put-together as always, a little sleep deprivation was nothing some good makeup and a triple-shot macchiato couldn’t fix. Everyone was still reeling over the Venture crash yesterday and scrambling to figure out its cause. LuthorCorp would be in deep trouble if the crash was due to a malfunction of a part they supplied. Lena couldn’t afford any more bad publicity and this was just the thing that could break the company. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it was a setup from a rival company? Plenty of our competitors would go so low as to destroy an entire shuttle just to make LuthorCorp fall apart. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Her musings were interrupted by Jess, buzzing her office to let her know that two reporters were waiting downstairs for an interview on the Venture incident. Cracking her neck and massaging her temples, she rose from behind her desk to go greet the unwelcome intruders. It was better to just get it all over with. She’d already prepared a report of all the part schematics that could have failed to give to the police or reporters that came looking for another evil Luthor. She would do anything to prove her innocence, without appearing desperate of course. Desperation was never a good look on a Luthor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She rode the elevator down to the lobby, not wanting to let them into her inner sanctum without a once-over. The doors dinged open and Lena stepped out, already scanning the lobby for unknown faces. What met her eyes almost dropped her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What. the. Hell?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Two mild-mannered figures, one tall dark-haired man and a blonde woman in a plain cardigan,  in matching glasses stood there chatting with the secretary. Over their heads hovered black, iridescent 10s.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Lena stood frozen for a couple of seconds before regaining her composure and making a beeline to the seemingly innocuous pair. They both seemed to notice her approach at the same time, the blonde shooting her a blinding smile and the tall brunet giving her a brief nod as greeting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I assume you are the reporters from the Daily Planet here to get the scoop on another of the Luthors’ evil plots, am I correct?” Lena greeted them brusquely, not waiting to shake their hands before turning back towards the elevators and waving for them to follow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yes, hi. I’m Clark Kent from the Daily Planet, but I guess you already knew that.” Clark rubbed the back of his neck, seeming thrown off a bit by the CEO’s terse reception. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pair followed Lena into her personal elevator so they could bypass any unwanted passengers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I assume you know why we’re here, then?” Clark asked. “It says on the manifest that you were supposed to be onboard the Venture for the launch. So why did you decide not to attend?” The lift arrived at her office floor as he finished the question and Lena strode out without waiting to hear the end of it, she already knew what it was going to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why I wasn't aboard the venture yesterday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s why we’re here.” Clarke’s slight Midwestern drawl added an air of mildness to his statement that his expression belied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There was an emergency regarding the planning for a ceremony I'm holding tomorrow.” Lena answered assuredly, though she knew that the emergency was nothing compared to her hatred of flying. “I'm renaming my family's company, and I had to cancel.” She walked into her office, facing the reporter and folding her arms over her chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, lucky.” The tall reporter obviously doubted her excuse, not that she expected any different from a reporter from Metropolis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lucky is Superman saving the day.” She remarked, chuckling at Clark’s overt attempt at fishing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not something one expects a Luthor to say.” Clarke responded, looking down and laughing shortly. Now that Lena had gotten over the glaring 10 hanging above their heads, there was something familiar about the man. She felt like she’d seen him before somewhere and not as this tame, tackily dressed newspaper man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, and Supergirl was there too!” Lena’s scrutiny was broken by the blonde’s interjection. She glanced over at the unimposing woman (despite the iridescent 10), appraising her with a raised chin and upturned eyebrow. Looking closer, the woman was beautiful, not Lena’s usual type, but definitely cute in a clumsy, nerdy kind of way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And who are you exactly?” The CEO brushed past her, walking over to the carafe of water and pouring herself a glass, inexplicably thirsty all of a sudden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I'm Kara Danvers. I'm not with the daily planet. I'm with catco magazine. Sort of.” Lena couldn’t see the woman’s face as she poured out the water, but she could hear the note of nervousness in the blonde’s fumbling reply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a publication not known for its hard-hitting journalism.” She turned back around to cock an eyebrow at the blonde and walk over to her desk. “More like ‘high-waisted jeans - Yes or no?’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m, um, I’m just tagging along for today.” Kara fidgeted with the pen in her hand and gestured broadly as she spoke. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s rather endearing isn’t it? How is it possible for this woman to be a 10?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lena thought to herself as she sat behind her glass desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Lena picked up her pen and began shuffling through the papers on the desk, projecting an air of important busyness as she continued, “Can we just speed this interview along?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just ask me what you want to ask, Mr. Kent. Did I have anything to do with the Venture explosion?” She was losing patience with the reporter’s dancing around the issue, she really did have important things to return to and she wanted these unknowns out of her office and her life as soon as possible (though a little voice in the back of her mind commented that she wouldn’t mind spending more time with the cute blonde).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you?” Clark’s aura on geniality dropped slightly with the question and Lena felt a wave of quiet intimidation from him at the question. She was starting to see underneath his mild-mannered exterior to the true danger hiding below.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t be asking me if my last name was Smith.” She met his gaze, her green eyes as hard as granite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, but it’s not. It’s Luthor.” He offered a false grin, but Lena was too good at reading people not to recognize the animosity in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Some steel under that Kansas wheat.” She said with a smile of her own. The smile faded as she turned her gaze to Kara, the one who might actually believe what she had to say. “It wasn't always. I was adopted when I was four. And the person who made me feel most welcome in the family was Lex.” At this admission, she lowered her eyes to the papers in front of her, briefly lost in the lingering hurt of her brother’s betrayal. “He made me proud to be a Luthor. And then he went on his reign of terror in Metropolis.” She turned in her office chair, gazing out on the beautiful view from her balcony as if it could soften the razor pain of her words. “Declared war on superman. Committed unspeakable crimes.” Facing the two once more, she grabbed the remote from her desk and pressed a button, bringing up the new L-Corp logo on the screen mounted to her wall. “When Superman put Lex in jail, I vowed to take back my family's company. To rename it I-corp. Make it a force for good. I'm just a woman trying to make a name for herself outside of her family. Can you understand that?” Lena caught Kara’s eyes and held them, trying to convey her sincerity to the other woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Kara replied, somewhat taken aback by all that Lena had revealed. There was a moment of something between them, some understanding of what it was like to be a woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know why you're here. Because a subsidiary of my company made the part that exploded on the venture.” As she spoke, Lena rose from her seat and crossed to a rack on a shelf in the wall. She removed a small flash drive and handed it to Clark, ready for him to be gone from her office. “This drive contains all the information we have on the oscillator. I hope it helps you in your investigation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” He looked surprised by her candid offer of information as he glanced back at Kara who was adjusting her glasses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Give me a chance, Mr. Kent.” Her tone had an edge of pleading. “I'm here for a fresh start. Let me have one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good day, Ms. Luthor.” The broad man turned away and exiting the office, Kara following behind like a lost puppy with a quiet “Good day” of her own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lena stood contemplating the door for several moments, running through the conversation again in her head. That was definitely not what she had expected from the two most deadly people she’d ever met. Clark Kent showed some real steel under his polite Midwestern veneer, but hadn’t strayed from his hard-hitting journalist persona. Kara Danvers had acted like an excited puppy on her first outing, all bright eyes and eager enthusiasm. Lena couldn’t process how someone who was the literal definition of sunshine and rainbows could have earned a 10 on her internal danger scale. It made no sense, unless she was a master actress and this whole interview had merely been a performance. Lena doubted that theory though, she had spent too long living with serpents not to recognize a predator when it stood in front of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She returned to her office chair and tried to shake herself from her musings with the latest report on one of her personal prototypes: the alien detector. Not the catchiest name, but it was something she’d been developing since Lex had hired her as the head of the R&amp;D department. It had been buggy in the latest tests, and with the President’s upcoming Alien Amnesty Act announcements, she knew the next few weeks would be the crucial time to begin distribution. The project sucked her in and held her attention until Jess’ voice once again interrupted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ms. Luthor, your helicopter is just landing to take you to your meeting with Lord Technologies.” After the whole Myriad incident, all of Maxwell Lord’s illegal activities had come to light and he was thrown in prison for illegal human experimentation, destruction of property, endangerment of citizens, and many other crimes. Lena had taken the opportunity to snap up the floundering company and incorporating it into L-Corp. This meeting would be the last with their board before the official merger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Jess. Let them know I’m on my way up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She rode the elevator to the roof, wind from the whirring rotor whipped her hair across her face as she walked to the helicopter. One of her security guards opened the door for her and helped her clamber inside. Futilely trying to straighten her windblown hair, she strapped herself in and put on the headset so she could communicate with the pilot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should be a smooth flight, Ms. Luthor.” The pilot pointed out, not a cloud in the sky and the weather as mild as ever in this part of California.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hate flying.” Lena stated, not willing to be comforted by the pilot’s confidence. “I know statistically, It's the safest way to travel, but still…” She drifted off as the helicopter lifted into the air from the helipad, clenching her hands in her lap to fists with the jolt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were still hovering over L-Corp when Lena caught sight of a glinting object approaching the helicopter. As it moved closer, she could see it was some kind of sophisticated drone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?” Another drone flew up from the left and Lena braced her hand on the glass of the cockpit as the drones settled to hover in front of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before the pilot had a chance to react, the drones opened fire.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lena gets saved by Supergirl and figures some shit out.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys, gals, and non-binary pals! First off, I'm sorry it's taken me a while to update. I didn't actually have a plan at all when I wrote the first chapter, it was more of a spur-of-the-moment one off. But people seem to like it, so I'm going to continue. I can't guarantee regular updates because I'm still trying to figure out exactly where I want this to go.</p>
<p>Thank y'all for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lena braced herself as the drones opened fire, eyes glued to the scene before her and frozen in the realization that this was the end. <em>Shite, this is really not going to help my fear of flying.</em> Before the bullets could shred through the helicopter, two angels in blue and red appeared, metal ricocheting off them and red capes billowing out behind them dramatically, offsetting the black, iridescent 10s above their heads like demented halos.</p>
<p>The voice projected from the drones addressed the two superheros, but Lena couldn’t make out the words over the rising ringing in her head as she processed the fact that she was still alive. Her muscles were still locked in horror, but she was alive, her heart still beat, her lungs still filled with air. Movement outside brought her attention snapping back to the moment. Superman flew off over the city on some cue Lena had missed in her mild panic, but Supergirl remained behind placing herself between the drones and the helicopter as a human (well, <em>alien</em>) shield. Eyes locked on the blonde Kryptonian, Lena’s jaw dropped in shock as the drone fired a missile directly at them that Supergirl intercepted with her own body, the explosion throwing her down onto the helipad with enough force to crack the cement. A scream escaped the Luthor’s lips as the alien laid sprawled in a crater, seemingly knocked senseless by the impact.</p>
<p>A number of small explosions rocked the aircraft as the drone took the opening to spray them with metal-piercing bullets. The pilot jerked violently beside her before slumping over the controls, blood pooling from a puncture in his shoulder. The impact jolted Lena out of her shock and into crisis mode. She leaned over the pilot, even as the helicopter began to spin out of control, alarms blaring through the headset still clamped over her ears, and applied pressure to the wound, ignoring the crimson blood oozing between her slender fingers and over her gold bracelet. The view outside the windshield stopped whirling and began to descend despite the flashing red lights and warnings still blasting from the controls. The pilot groaned in pain as they touched down and Lena’s hand was jostled from where it pressed against his shoulder. The door on the pilot’s side wrenched open and a blonde figure appeared through it, replacing Lena’s bloody hand with one of her own, more effectively staunching the blood flow.</p>
<p>“You’re safe now,” Supergirl reassured her as she scanned both Lena and the pilot for further wounds.</p>
<p>“What the hell was that?!” Lena’s voice was shaking more than she would have liked, an effect of the adrenaline coursing through her.</p>
<p>“Someone’s trying to kill you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, no shit Sherlock,” Lena replied dryly, relying on humor to steady herself, “but who’s responsible?”</p>
<p>“We don’t know yet, but I promise you, Ms. Luthor, we will find out.”</p>
<p>Their conversation was cut short as the pilot gasped and Supergirl’s attention returned to the wounded man.</p>
<p>“I have to get this man to a hospital.” With that, Supergirl pulled the man out of his seat and jetted off in the direction of the nearest Emergency Room.</p>
<p>The Luthor was left shaking, alone in the chopper, cold blood, drying on her hands and arms. Soon enough, her security team was helping her out onto the damaged roof and bundling her down to her office, her personal doctor checking her out for injuries and finding nothing but a few small bruises and scrapes. Lena waved them all off her and ordered them out of the office before locking herself into her bathroom. Red-tinged water swirled down the sink drain as she frantically scrubbed the crimson stains from her skin. Her body trembled in the aftershock of what had just happened, trying to stave off the flashbacks of being tied, helpless, to a chair under a red sun as her brother raved madly to the fallen form of Superman before him. <em>Deep breaths, Lena. In...out...</em> </p>
<p>She practiced the deep breathing exercises her therapist had drilled into her and slowly came down from the panic of her near-death experience. The fact that it had happened while flying didn’t help at <em>all</em>. Lena never felt in control unless her feet were firmly planted on the ground. <em>First the Venture and now the helicopter. I refuse to fly anymore, not unless I absolutely have to.</em></p>
<p>-------------------------------------------</p>
<p>She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised when a certain blonde reporter showed up outside her office the next morning as she was preparing for the renaming ceremony. Kara strode into the white, sunlit office like a ray of golden light. Her hair was tied up in a neat ponytail and glasses framing those sky-blue eyes, but nothing could disguise the 10 floating above her. <em>Oh, oooohhhhhh, wow.</em> Something clicked in the brunette’s head as Lena made the connection between this reporter and the superhero who had saved her life yesterday. <em>Those glasses really don’t help, do they? It’s a little ridiculous to be honest.</em></p>
<p>“Good morning, Ms. Danvers,” Lena greeted the blonde, not revealing even a flicker of her realization, “what brings you to my office this morning?”</p>
<p>“Well, I heard about the attempt on your life yesterday and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”</p>
<p>“How very gallant of you?” she raised her eyebrow and smirked as a blush rose to the flustered reporter’s cheeks. “Are you sure it wasn’t just because you wanted a quote on my, now obvious, innocence on the Venture explosion?”</p>
<p>“Ah, yes, well, hum, that too.” Kara adjusted her glasses, looking down at her shoes as she tried to regain her composure. “But mostly I just wanted you to know you’re not alone today.”</p>
<p>Lena cocked her head, amused by Kara’s concern over her wellbeing. Supergirl was obsessed with “protecting the people” and “fighting for justice” and all that, so why wasn’t she here instead of Kara? Yes, technically they’re the same person, but why would <em>Kara</em> be the one to care about her?</p>
<p>“I suppose I should be grateful that <em>someone</em> still appreciates the fact that I survived. It seems like most people these days would enjoy seeing a Luthor put in their place.” Lena gathered her papers as she talked, organizing her desk and putting on her coat, readying herself for the ceremony that was soon to begin.</p>
<p>Kara stepped forward, gently placing a hand on the brunette’s forearm as she brushed past. Lena glanced down at the touch, brow wrinkled at the unexpected contact. Physical touch was something she rarely ever received, especially not in a comforting context. Kara saw the look and quickly removed her hand, probably interpreting Lena’s expression as discomfort. The brunette missed the warmth of Kara’s hand as soon as it was gone.</p>
<p>“People do care about you, Ms. Luthor, you are more than just your name.” Blue eyes held her gaze, soft with compassion and that infectious optimism.</p>
<p>Lena wasn’t sure how to respond. She was rarely ever speechless, the Luthors made sure she always knew what to do in every social situation. But someone genuinely caring for her? That was a new one. So, the brunette did what she always had done when confronted by a novel circumstance. She shrugged it off. A bitter chuckle left her lips as she walked out of the office and down the hall to the elevator, Kara trailing after her. They stood rather awkwardly in the elevator before the blonde broke the silence.</p>
<p>“Sooo, L-Corp, hmm? Why not change the name completely, something not related to Luther-Corp at all?”</p>
<p>“Are you asking as a reporter or just out of curiosity?” She smiled wryly to show she was just teasing the blonde. “I may not enjoy bearing the Luthor name, but that doesn’t mean I should be ashamed of a whole letter of the alphabet. ‘L’ is more than just the beginning of Luthor. It also can stand for light and learning and life. That’s what I want this company to stand for, Ms. Danvers.” The elevator dinged and doors opened, saving them from the closeness of the space.</p>
<p>They walked out of the building and down to the stage set up in front of the new ‘L-Corp’ statue. The crowd was sparse, maybe thirty people waiting for the ceremony to begin.</p>
<p>“My brother’s serving 32 consecutive life sentences. I guess I shouldn't be surprised there isn’t a bigger turnout.”</p>
<p>“You’re taking an awful risk,” Kara commented, sounding disapproving of Lena’s disregard for her own welfare, “going ahead with the renaming ceremony with your life in danger.”</p>
<p>“I won’t have a life if I can’t make this company into something positive. All it will be remembered for is Lex’s madness.” She walked away from the reporter, climbing onto the stage and standing behind the podium.</p>
<p>“I want to thank you all for coming. This company used to be a place of misplaced power and greed. My brother hurt a lot of good, innocent people. My family owes a debt, not just to Metropolis, but to everyone. I intend to pay that. By renaming my company L-Corp, we will usher in a new age of cooperation and community. Together we will chart a brighter future.” A wave of blazing heat and sound hit her from behind, slamming her against the podium. </p>
<p>Behind her, explosions rocked the park and destroyed the L-Corp statue. Lena ran from the flames, shielding her head from flying debris, to the relative safety of the other side of the park. Turning around, she saw cracks beginning to spiderweb up her company’s skyscraper. A flash of blue and red drew her gaze as Supergirl flew up to hold the collapsing building up. A second figure joined her, super strength preventing the teetering skyscraper from toppling onto the city block below. Streams of people evacuated the building, dodging falling rubble. The brunette searched through the crowd for anyone who could possibly help direct the chaos and spotted a police officer.</p>
<p>“Officer, thank God,” she exclaimed breathlessly. Her relief was cut short as the officer pulled a gun and aimed at her. <em>Bollocks, I’m really tired of people shooting at me</em>. As she braced for the bullets, the gun was deflected by a badass-looking woman in black. They exchanged blows almost faster than Lena’s eyes could track. The woman elbowed the imposter and managed to break his grip on the gun, sending it flying off. She managed to draw her own gun before being disarmed herself. He caught her in a chokehold, but she leveraged her weight to flip him over onto the ground. He surged back up and pulled a knife from his belt. They continued the fight, the woman gaining the upper hand. It was only bad luck that sent him tumbling to where one of the guns had come to rest. He scrambled for it and had his finger on the trigger before the woman in black could react.</p>
<p>Supergirl landed with a thud and the fake police officer grabbed the woman in combat gear and held the gun to her head. Taking advantage of the man’s distraction, Lena darted forward and grabbed the gun that the woman had dropped. It’d been a long time since she’d shot a gun. Lionel had insisted she learn, but Lillian disapproved of such crude methods. But it was simple enough, the safety wasn’t even on. She aimed at the man’s back, just enough to the side that the bullets would miss the woman if they went all the way through, and fired twice.</p>
<p>The fake cop dropped and the woman instantly tried to stop the bleeding. Lena stood there, still aiming the gun, hands shaking as she realized she’d actually just shot someone. They may have been trying to kill her, but still, she’d never hurt anyone like that before. Strong, warm hands closed over her own, gently prying the gun from her tight grip. She looked up from where the man was bleeding out on the sidewalk and met inhumanly blue eyes. Kara, still as Supergirl, placed the gun to the side and placed her hands on either side of Lena’s face. The CEO hadn’t realized she was shaking until she felt the steadiness of Supergirl’s arms.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, Ms. Luthor. You’re safe now. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Kara’s voice was so full of comforting confidence that Lena couldn’t help but believe her. Her breathing calmed and the shuddering eased. As soon as she regained control of herself, she stepped out of Kara’s hold and straightened her coat, ignoring the holes torn in it by flying debris.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Supergirl. You saved the lives of my employees and my company’s building. I don’t know how to thank you.” Lena assumed her CEO mask as she spoke, hiding the vulnerability from the moment before.</p>
<p>“No need, Ms. Luthor. Just doing my job.” She flew off, probably to help clear up the damage or report to whoever her superiors are.</p>
<p>An ambulance had arrived and loaded up the assailant, the woman in combat gear hopping in along for the ride and leaving Lena on her own to pick up the rest of the pieces. Not one to dwell on things, she pulled her phone from her coat pocket, somehow undamaged, and called up the company’s building contractor.</p>
<p>-----------------------------------------------</p>
<p>‘New Day for L-Corp’ read the bold headline on the front page of the Daily Planet, byline Clark Kent. <em>Who would have ever thought Superman would praise a Luthor?</em> After making the connection between Kara and Supergirl, figuring out that Clark Kent was Superman was no great leap. It made an incredible amount of sense. Who would ever expect this mid-western, mild-mannered reporter to be the Man of Steel? She wondered if Lex had ever discovered his nemesis’ secret identity. If he did, he never shared it with his woefully inferior adopted sister.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Mr. Kent.” Lena folded the paper and stood, walking around her desk to stand before the pair of Supers. “This is <em>exactly</em> the kind of press my company needs after yesterday’s attack. And thank you for including that part about me shooting the guy. That’ll teach Lex to mess with me.” She glanced over to Kara, who was hanging slightly behind Clark. “He’ll be the laughingstock of cell block X.”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s not exactly why I wrote it.” Clark replied, obviously entertained by the idea of Lex being made to look the fool. “I wrote it because it’s the truth. I was wrong about you, Ms. Luthor. I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“Well, if I can make a believer out of Clark Kent, there’s hope yet.” She again looked over to the quiet blonde who had yet to say anything. “What about you, Ms. Danvers? I didn’t see your name on the byline.”</p>
<p>“Uh,” Kara was flustered by the sudden attention from Lena. Lena definitely enjoyed making this all-mighty superhero blush. “Well, like I said, I’m not a reporter.”</p>
<p>“You could have fooled me.” She had enough time to see pleasant surprise creep into the blonde’s eyes before turning around and walking back behind her desk, a clear dismissal of the pair. “I hope this isn’t the last time we talk.”</p>
<p>“I hope not either,” a genuinely happy smile graced Kara’s lips, one that ignited warm tingles in Lena’s chest. The pair of Kryptonians walked out of the office, leaving Lena gazing at the door, a small smile of her own on her lips.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lemme know what you guys would like to see happen in the fic! This is definitely going to be a Supercorp story, but like I said, I have absolutely no plot so far other than a very bare bones idea.</p>
<p>Hit me up on tumblr at <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/yashaisbae">yashaisbae</a> if you like random gay shit or if oyu want to yell at me to remind me to update XD</p>
<p>Suggestions are also always welcome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A new menace poses a threat to Supergirl, which Lena decides is NOT okay. CatCo reporter, Kara Danvers, visits Lena for her very first interview as a full-fledged journalist.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey there guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Sorry this has taken so long. Life has a way of suckerpunching you in the gut, ya know? I can’t promise super regular updates, but I’ll be working on it when I can. Thank you to everyone who’s still reading this!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lena relaxed onto the couch in her office with a tumbler of good Irish scotch, kicking off her heels to relieve her aching feet. Running a multibillion-dollar company as a 20-something year-old woman whose family had a checkered past was a monumental feat. All the old, white men on the board and acting as the CEOs of partner companies had little respect for her. They all saw her as an entitled rich girl who inherited daddy’s company because her brother fucked up. Lena refused to bend to these arrogant assholes. She had steel in her bones and Luthor-cultivated business acumen. She’d had to fight for everything she’d ever accomplished in her life and running L-Corp would be no different.</p>
<p>It was still lonely though. Her thoughts were drawn to the bright smile and infectious happiness of a certain blonde far more often than Lena would like to admit. The connection between the light, bubbly Catco reporter and the striking Supergirl was inarguable, but still Lena had to wonder which persona was Kara’s true self. More than anything, Lena hated being manipulated and she hated the thought that this woman of sunshine was a lie. <em>Maybe I’ll have to figure out another excuse to see her. Kara could prove to be an invaluable resource or at least a fascinating puzzle. </em>She turned the wall-mounted tv on to the evening news, a successful business relied on being up-to-date on the latest happenings after all. There seemed to be some sort of disturbance on one of the bridges in the city. A figure stood outlined by spotlights from news choppers on the edge, looking like he was about to jump. Matching blue and red costumed Supers landed on the bridge near where the man stood facing away from them. The cameras were too far away to pick up what they were saying, but Lena guessed they were trying to talk the man down from the ledge.</p>
<p>The man turned around to face the two superheroes, shirt burning away to reveal a sickly green glow in his chest. Lena found herself leaning forward, trying to get a better view of what was happening. She jumped slightly when a beam of energy shot out of the green glow, hitting Superman in the chest and sending him flying backwards. <em>Kryptonite! How the hell did this guy get access to kryptonite?</em> Lena knew from her brother’s many ramblings how difficult it was to find the irradiated fragments of the Kryptonians’ home planet. It had taken him almost a decade to gather his own stockpile for taking down Superman and he never had figured out how to make a synthetic equivalent. Knowledge of the Supers’ weakness was a highly guarded secret, known to a select few Luthor contacts and certain governmental agencies. The size of the crystal in this man’s chest was larger than any she’d seen before. Who could possess such a massive amount and have the ability to engineer the monstrous cyborg battling the Kryptonians on the bridge?</p>
<p>The man hit Superman with another beam of green before Supergirl threw a haymaker at his face. The punch seemed to have no effect, the attacker didn’t even flinch from a blow that would’ve felled a bull elephant. He casually backhanded Supergirl across the face, ragdolling her bodily into an abandoned car that crumpled under the force of the impact. Lena’s grip on her tumbler tightened as Kara lay crumpled on the pavement while the attacker began to assault Superman with a flurry of punches. He grappled Superman into a chokehold and the news cameras just barely picked up the neon veins crawling up his face from contact with the kryptonite.</p>
<p>Lena’s chest tightened as the man seemed to hold the upper hand against the Supers, matching them blow-for-blow as the kryptonite sapped their strength. He was impervious to their heat vision, evident when he intercepted Superman’s lasers with one hand, flesh searing away to reveal metal-coated bones, and the beams of green light prevented them from getting close enough to take advantage of their inhuman strength. Lena watched on in horror as a kryptonite beam blasted Supergirl at close range, throwing her violently to the ground. She writhed in pain as the cyborg loomed over her, glorying in the fall of this god. The man was suddenly flung into the air off the bridge as Superman bowled into him unexpectedly from the side. The tumbler dropped from Lena’s grip and shattered against the tiled floor as Superman picked up Kara’s motionless body and flew off.</p>
<p>Lena sank deeper into the couch in shock, the noise of the tv fading to the background, as she tried to process what she’d just watched. The cameras had been unable to get a good shot of the man’s face so she had nothing to work off of to identify him and as much as she wanted to check on the fallen Supergirl, she had no idea where the other Kryptonian was taking her. <em>What the fuck just happened? Where did this guy come from?</em></p>
<p>----------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>Lena didn’t sleep that night. Over and over, her mind played the scene of Supergirl crumpling to the pavement with her attacker lording over her. She tossed and turned in the darkness of her bedroom, plagued with questions about what had happened and how anyone could have created such a perfect weapon against the Supers. <em>Could it have been Lex? Does his reach extend that far even from cellblock X?</em></p>
<p>She finally slipped into a troubled sleep, dreams haunted by images of Kara writhing in agony, face twisted in anguish, crying out for Lena to save her. Lena woke, drenched in sweat, sky still dark in the early morning. Realizing sleep was unlikely to return, Lena sighed heavily and crawled out of bed to get ready for the day.</p>
<p>Clear protective lenses protected her eyes from the flying sparks as Lena leaned over her work, soldering wires and attaching tiny metal parts. The lab was empty except for her, the news playing in the background as she worked. One of the first things Lena had done when coming to National City was to make sure she had her own private, fully-stocked lab. She might be the new CEO, but she was an engineer first and foremost. Building things had always been soothing for her. Everything made sense when she was working with electronics and wires. They behaved as expected and when they didn’t, she could just take them apart and start over. People were much more difficult to work with.</p>
<p>It had taken her <em>hours</em> of staring at a computer screen, fingers flying madly over the keyboard as she hacked into her brother’s company files, before she had found everything he had on kryptonite. He had dedicated decades to figuring out exactly how to take the Supers down, but, maybe unsurprisingly, had next to nothing on counteracting the effects of Kryptonite. He had meticulously recorded its molecular structure and every instance he had seen it in action against Superman. The substance was harmless to humans, so Lex couldn’t care less about developing an antidote. It seemed he had tried, fruitlessly, to synthesize the mineral and had given up when he deemed the task impossible.</p>
<p>From what she could gather from Lex’s research, kryptonite exuded a very specific type of radiation that was fatal to those from its home planet. Some unknown effect of the world’s explosion and the journey of the fragments to Earth had transformed them into irradiated chunks of mineral. No earthly element could replicate that kind of radiation, so little was known about exactly how it affected Kryptonians. Observation showed that prolonged exposure weakened them to human levels, allowing them to be hurt by conventional means. Theoretically, what the kryptonite emitted was similar to gamma radiation, capable of penetrating most materials less dense than metals.</p>
<p>If Lena could figure out some way to absorb or deflect the radiation from the kryptonite, she could potentially create a device that would render the element harmless to Supergirl, and Superman too. Not that she really cared about Kara Danvers. No, this was all for science. It was only logical to develop something to protect the world’s protectors. Lex might have been consumed by his jealousy and blinded by his hatred of aliens, but Lena was smart enough to recognize the advantages of having two god-like aliens protecting the earth. It had nothing to do with the fear that wrapped like steel around her heart, heavy and cold, not knowing if Kara was still even alive. The hours she’d spent so far feverishly working were definitely not to distract herself from her nightmares of Kara screaming out in pain and desperation as green veins crawled across her skin. She’d met this woman twice (three times if the time Supergirl saved her counted). How had she wormed her way so deep in Lena’s mind? It didn’t matter. Kara Danvers was Supergirl and some crazy man was running around with the ability to murder her, if he hadn’t succeeded already. Lena owed Kara her life, the least she could do was try to return the favor.</p>
<p>It turned out her assistance was unnecessary. Supergirl and Superman seemed to have things well in hand, if the news was to be believed. Despite a devastating attack on Metropolis by a second kryptonite-wielding cyborg, the Supers, working in tandem with some as of yet unidentified allies, were able to disarm both Metallos and imprison at least one of them. Lena was shocked to discover that the original Metallo (the name he declared for himself) was none other than James Corben, the hitman hired by Lex to take her out. A weight lifted off Lena’s chest at the knowledge that she wasn’t a murderer. Having heard nothing of Corben’s whereabouts after shooting him, Lena has assumed he was dead. She hadn’t realized the toll that belief had taken on her until it was gone. And the fact that Kara was safe and sound was even more of a relief. <em>I should’ve realized this Kryptonian was made of sterner stuff. It’ll take more than a patchwork cyborg to kill Kara Danvers.</em></p>
<p>With Supergirl safe once more and no imminent threats looming, Lena shelved the anti-kryptonite device for a later date and began working to put the last few touches on her next latest project. The President of the United States of America was coming to visit and, more importantly, signing an act that would absolve all aliens of any past crimes and grant them citizenship to live legally in the US. Lena of all people knew the fear and distrust this new law would strike in the human population of the country. So she’d been developing a device that would capitalize on the wave of unease: her Alien Detection Device. She believed people had a right to know the truth about those around them. She had been raised to see only the destructiveness that aliens brought to earth and none of the good. Even with Supergirl and Superman, she was suspicious of their motives and in the back of her mind lurked (it’s voice that of Lex) the worry that one day their benevolence would give way to the desire to rule. It didn’t hurt that projected sales of the ADD would be critical to recovering the losses the company had sustained in the Lex scandal.</p>
<p>-----------------------------------------</p>
<p>Lena wasn’t surprised when Jess buzzed her office to let her know that a reporter from Catco magazine was here for an interview on the President’s new Alien Amnesty Act. Especially after news of the failed assassination attempt during the President’s arrival in the city, committed by some fire-wielding alien no less, spread like (excuse the pun) wildfire. What did surprise her was that the reporter was one Miss Kara Danvers. <em>Hmm, this interview might not be so tiresome after all.</em></p>
<p>“Ms. Luthor,” Kara greeted her, striding into Lena’s office confidently, looking adorably reporter-esque in her light gray pullover and pine green pants.</p>
<p>“Lena, please,” Lena stood from her desk and reached out to shake Kara’s hand, “it’s good to see you again Ms. Danvers.” Kara’s handshake was firm and genuine, instantly putting the businesswoman at ease. She held on for just a bit longer than polite societal rules dictated as the clear sky blue of the reporter’s eyes drew her in. <em>Now is not the time to fantasize about this woman’s hands, Luthor, even if they are warm and soft and perfectly compliment her sunny personality, </em>Lena chided herself, <em>you can be a useless lesbian later</em>. <em>And don’t forget, those hands could snap you like a twig with no effort.</em></p>
<p>“Well, if I’m calling you Lena,” Kara said, shrugging slightly and dipping her head with a cute grin.</p>
<p>“Kara, it is.” Lena was slightly thrown off balance by the brilliant smile Kara flashed her at the sound of her name. She tried to cover it by babbling something about having parking tickets validated by her security or some such as she sat back down, forgetting just for a moment the fact that this adorable act was most likely just a persona, a face she wore to hide her identity as a superpowered alien.</p>
<p>“Oh, no, no, no.” Kara replied, flapping her hand at Lena’s offer. “It’s fine, I flew here,” she continued adjusting her glasses. Lena quirked an eyebrow at the reporter’s gaffe. “Uh, on...on a bus.” Kara petered out, a blush rising up her neck at her obviously bungled attempt to cover up her mistake. <em>How has this woman flown under the radar for so long? </em>Lena wondered. <em>She’s perhaps the worst liar I’ve ever met.</em></p>
<p>“Well,” Lena stated, after a brief pause, “I’m glad to see you decided to give reporting a shot.” She leaned forward on her elbows on the desk and gestured for Kara to sit as the woman awkwardly looked around. “Although, if you’re here on the same day the President is in town to sign her Alien Amnesty Act, then…”</p>
<p>“I must be here to ask the sister of Earth’s most notorious alien-hater her take on the President’s executive order.” Kara finished for her as she pulled out a pen and reporter’s notebook from her satchel.</p>
<p><em>Well this should be interesting. A Super asking a Luthor’s opinion on accepting aliens as citizens; not exactly what I expected would happen today.</em> Lena pushed herself away from her desk and stood.</p>
<p>“I want to show you something,” she said and walked over to a biometrically locked safe on a shelf. The safe scanned her thumbprint and popped open, revealing Lena’s latest project. She held up a small, oblong device, a similar size and shape as a computer mouse. The device was an innocuous grey and had a small scanner at one end.</p>
<p>“What is it?” Kara asked, tilting her head and looking almost exactly like a curious golden retriever. Lena’s heart warmed at the honest interest in the reporter’s gaze.</p>
<p>“It’s an alien detection device that allows humans to find out who among them is not truly one of them.” At Lena’s statement, the look on Kara’s face fell and her eyes shuttered, stifling the normally clear windows into her thoughts. <em>Now what are you going to do, Supergirl? </em>Lena challenged silently. “It’s not market-ready yet. I mean, we’re still developing the prototype.” Lena sat on the edge of her desk to face Kara, who grew more and more stiff with every word. “But we aim to have this device in every store, in every town all across America.” Any light that had been in the reporter’s expression at the beginning of the interview had guttered. Lena could practically <em>feel</em> the walls Kara slammed up at the thought of something that could reveal her to the world.</p>
<p>“Uh, how does it work?”</p>
<p>“It’s just a simple skin test.” Lena explained, keeping her usual smile in place. She’d perfected the art of keeping her composure, unlike the alien standing before her. “Okay, let me show you what a negative response looks like.” Lena turned the device around in her hand and placed her thumb on the little scanner, waiting until it beeped and the light turned green. “See? RIght?” She extended the device out towards Kara. “Now, you try.” <em>Let’s see if you can get yourself out of this one, Kara.</em></p>
<p>The reporter (the alien, an imposter, Supergirl, calling herself Kara Danvers) looked flustered, her mouth hanging open for a few seconds as she scrambled for something to say.</p>
<p>“But won’t a device like this…” Kara tried to say before changing tack slightly, “doesn’t it go against everything America is supposed to stand for?” Her face was scrunched up in disapproval, a slight crinkle appearing between her eyebrows.</p>
<p>“Such as?” Lena rebutted, placing the device on the desk beside her. To her, America had always been a place of oppression and heartache. She’d been taken here by force, away from the only family she’d ever known, and thrown into a house of cold psychopaths who cared for nothing but power. She’d learned that this country thrived on money and control, no matter the cost to the people they had to step on. How did her device go against any of that?</p>
<p>“Well, freedom,” Kara chuckled stiffly and gestured vaguely, still holding that little notebook, “against persecution, oppression. America’s always been a country full of immigrants.”</p>
<p>“It’s also always been a country full of humans.” Lena crossed her arms over her chest defensively, readying herself for a self-righteous, misguided tirade. She’d heard plenty of the same whenever Superman confronted Lex about his newest plot to take the alien down. <em>These Supers believe they know everything, don’t they? </em></p>
<p>Kara again laughed awkwardly, in anything but amusement.</p>
<p>“Just,” Kara paused, looking as though she was trying to decide the best way to frame her question, “don’t you think this device will force aliens back into the very shadows the President is trying to shine a light on?”</p>
<p>“If aliens want to be citizens, that’s now their right. But if humans wanna know which of their fellow citizens aren’t actually one of them, then that’s their right too.” Lena ignored the reporter’s obvious crestfallen disappointment in her matter-of-fact answer and continued. “I’m a business woman. L-Corp is in the business of making money and this device is going to make us a fortune. But, unlike my brother, I’m going to do it for the good of the world.” Lena had to stand and walk around the glass desk to give herself time to reign in her rising ire. And it didn’t hurt that it put some distance between the Super and herself. An angry god-like alien was never fun to be around, she knew that from painful experience. Sitting back in her chair, she caught a whiff of burning plastic, like when she used her soldering iron in her lab. She reached over and picked up her device, noticing the smell getting slightly stronger as she did so. <em>Did Kara do something to my project while my back was turned?</em> Lena plastered the smile back on her face, biting her lip, and held out the alien detector. “So..”</p>
<p>“Right.” The startled little shrug and evident discomfort on Kara’s face almost drew a sardonic laugh from Lena. The reporter cleared her throat and stepped forward, hesitantly placing her thumb on the scanner. “Here it goes.”</p>
<p>The scanner beeped for a few seconds before the light turned green, signaling a negative response. Lena suppressed her shock at the malfunction. She knew for a fact that Kara was in no way human. The black iridescent 10 floating above her head gave evidence to that. What had gone wrong? Did Supergirl manage to break it somehow?</p>
<p>“See,” Lena scrambled quickly to cover up her consternation, “works perfectly.”</p>
<p>Kara let out a poorly disguised sigh of relief and her smile returned finally. Some of the panic drained from her eyes and she sat down again across from Lena. The Luthor leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, attempting to refocus her attention on the interview and shelve the device malfunction for later.</p>
<p>“So,” Kara began, “does this mean that you believe aliens will never truly become part of this country?”</p>
<p>“Look, I realize that my views of aliens can be rather...distorted.” Lena yielded. “But the vast majority of aliens I’ve had experience with have had ill intentions and no desire to be an upstanding citizen. Why should we give them a blanket pass on the harm they’ve done before so they can start over as new citizens?”</p>
<p>“Okay, but how many aliens have you actually come across?” Kara countered. “And couldn’t you say that any antagonism you experienced could be a result of your brother’s actively anti-alien views?”</p>
<p>“I suppose. I don’t know that I ever considered it that way. Are you suggesting I need a more personal relationship to an alien then?” Lena couldn’t help the flirtatious lilt that slipped out through her question. She knew the perfect alien to fit that role. <em>Stop it, Lena. You can’t be flirting with the most powerful woman on the planet, even if she did save your life.</em> She couldn’t seem to help it though. This woman seemed to disarm Lena in the most disconcerting way. Lena never seemed to know what to do with herself when Kara was around, as Supergirl or not. She fluctuated from suspicious to flirtatious on a dime. Only years under Lillian allowed Lena to maintain her suave demeanor in spite of her roiling emotions.</p>
<p>Kara adjusted her glasses again, a nervous tic it seemed, and hemmed and hawed. Lena decided to let her off the hook and broke the tension with a soft laugh. Kara joined in with a chuckle.</p>
<p>“I must admit, this is probably the most civil interview I’ve ever had. And I have you to thank for that, Ms. Danvers.” Lena stood and made her way around to where Kara was sitting. Kara stood as well and took Lena’s offered hand in a firm shake (Lena ignored the flutter in her stomach at the physical contact). “Unfortunately I have other matters to attend to, but please, feel free to come back any time. It’s been wonderful to have such an intelligent woman to talk to.”</p>
<p>“Oh, well, yes, of course,” Kara babbled as her cheeks grew red from the compliment. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and for your candidness, Ms. Luthor.” She walked to the door and let herself out, moving quickly.</p>
<p>Lena watched through her windows as Kara exited the building before sitting down at her desk and examined the alien detection device. Nothing seemed wrong on the outside. She buzzed Jess on the intercom and instructed her to move all of her meeting back for at least an hour before hitting a concealed button on the far wall. The mounted tv and wall slid smoothly back and to the side, revealing her high tech private lab. Lena inspected the inner workings of her pet project, intent on figuring out what the hell the Kryptonian did to bypass her sensor. She knew it worked. There had been countless trials before this, testing on all sorts of alien DNA. Examining the motherboard she discovered that one of the main connections had been severed, as if with a soldering iron. <em>Damn, she must have used that laser vision of hers. </em>Lena was very impressed at the Kryptonian’s precision. <em>How had she figured out how to disable it so efficiently?</em> She realized that she really knew next to nothing about Kara Danvers. She could list every one of her powers, thanks to Lex, and everything her maniacal adoptive brother had managed to glean from his misguided quest to destroy the Man of Steel. It had never occurred to her before that maybe this god-like alien was more than just brute force and naive idealism. Maybe she actually had a brain beneath that perfectly wind-tousled blond mane. <em>Fascinating, I’ll have to see exactly how advanced this Kara Danvers is.</em> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you again for reading! Feel free to leave a comment on things you’d like to see in the next chapters. I am always open to ideas and input! If you’re interested in seeing a bunch of gay shit, look me up on tumblr at <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/yashaisbae">yashaisbae</a>.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lena reads Kara's article and summons her to the office to thank her. Kara asks for a favor.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, hello there, guys, gals, and enby pals! Soooooooo, sorry for disappearing for over a month :/. This story started off on a whim and ended up falling to the wayside a bit as I worked on my Tales of the Commander series (btw if you like the idea of a BAMF werewolf Lexa and Viking firebender Clarke, you should check out my other works). I definitely will continue writing this, though the updates will be sporadic until I'm done writing Where's My Love. I'm sorry :(. But never fear! I have no plans for abandoning this story!</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>PS. Any and all typos and/or grammar gaffes are 100% my fault! Let me know if you find any and I will do my best to fix it ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>A Fresh Face on an Old Empire</strong>
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Lena Luthor stands behind her desk, the picture of effortless poise and professionalism. Where her brother dominated conversations through fervent discourse and arrogant charm, Lena was all pointed wit and frankness. Her sometimes brutal honesty was tempered by a true passion for doing good. Lena openly admitted the damage the Luthor family has inflicted on this country in their need for power and obsession with “ridding the country of the alien menace.” Her purpose is to dedicate her newly christened L-Corp to developing technologies for the betterment of the little people. She has already used her vast fortune to fund numerous hospitals, especially those specializing in treating children. Underneath her outwardly cool demeanor, beats a heart full of compassion for this country and those who have experienced the hard knocks of life.</p>
  <p>When questioned about her opinion on President Marsden’s Amnesty Act, she revealed a prototype of a device that would allow the easy detection of aliens among the population. This device required just the touch of a finger to determine whether an individual is human or otherwise. Though initially skeptical of how such a device could be used for good, Lena’s impassioned defense of the prototype revealed a genuine desire to protect the American people against those who wish to do harm. Lena Luthor’s responses show someone who fully understands the complexities of the political landscape in the US and who desires to fight for the common people’s rights. She fervently defends her beliefs, yet is willing to reexamine those beliefs when given new information and a different perspective.</p>
  <p>This powerful woman has demonstrated time after time a stoic determination in the face of constant vitriol and everything stacked against her. She has risen from a position of relative obscurity to the ceaseless bombardment of negative press and punishing ruthlessness of being female in the position of CEO. She has ascended with enviable poise and business acumen far beyond her twenty-three years. Lena Luthor is not defined by a tainted last name. She is a woman of brilliance, grace, and unshakeable tenacity in the pursuit of doing good.</p>
</blockquote><p>Lena set the magazine down on the glass table in front of her as she sagged back into the white leather sofa. Lost in thought, she sipped her single-malt scotch. The slight burn of the alcohol in her throat went unnoticed as she turned the Kara’s words over and over in her mind. The alien had seemed so timidly antagonistic during the interview and yet her article contained nothing but glowing praise. What could have possibly changed to alter her tone so drastically? <em>Hmm, what better way to find out than to ask her in person?</em></p>
<p>Lena stood and walked out to Jess’ desk down the hall from her office. The assistant looked up, surprised that her boss had actually come to her in person. She stopped whatever she was doing on her computer and waited for Lena’s instructions expectantly.</p>
<p>“Jess, would you call Ms. Danvers from CatCo and ask her to come see me?”</p>
<p>“Of course, Ms. Luthor. Anything else you would like me to tell her?”</p>
<p>“No, I merely have some things I’d like to discuss with her in person.” Without waiting for Jess’ response, Lena walked away. She made it only a few steps before another thought struck her. “Oh, and Jess? Please send for an arrangement of plumerias. The ones in my office are beginning to wilt.”</p>
<p>Returning to her office, she immersed herself in the most recent reports from her R&amp;D department. Apparently there were some issues with the Alien Detection Device that were interfering with its ability to differentiate species. Her thoughts drifted back to the bashful reporter and her pointed questions on the morality of the device. <em>Perhaps she has a point, </em>Lena mused. <em>I hadn’t truly considered aliens as refugees. </em>She understood what it was like to be thrown unexpectedly into a world intent on destroying everything she was. Maybe she should dial back on how widely the ADD was distributed. She fiddled with a pen as she mulled over the possibilities of her device’s release.</p>
<p>Hours elapsed as she worked, until the disappearing light from the wall of windows behind her shook her from her concentration. The bones in her neck popped as she stretched and pushed her chair back from her desk. She stood, poured herself a tumbler of Macallan, and curled up on her couch, the CatCo article in hand once again. She was in the midst of rereading it for the tenth time when a blonde beam of sunshine waltzed into her office.</p>
<p>“Hi, I'm sorry to drop in unannounced, I just got the message you wanted to see me.” Kara announced, waving her hands as she spoke, before gesturing to the fresh plumerias Jess had delivered earlier. “Those flowers are beautiful.”</p>
<p>“They’re called plumerias.” Lena replied, setting down her glass and turning towards the reporter. “They’re pretty rare.”</p>
<p>“They remind me of my mother.” An unmistakable softness tinged the lines of Kara’s expression, nostalgia tinged with old grief.</p>
<p><em>Oh, her mother must not have come here to Earth with her. Well, at least we have that particular grief in common.</em> Lena was struck with a sudden desire to know more about this enigmatic woman who presents as a klutzy reporter one moment and an all-powerful superhero the next. “Was your mother a writer too?” The question tripped off Lena’s tongue before she could rein it in.</p>
<p>“No, she was, um,” Kara fidgeted nervously with her glasses, obviously uncomfortable discussing her own past, “I guess, sort of a lawyer.” She came over to the couch and sat at Lena’s invitation.</p>
<p>“Well, you've a natural gift with words. The article's amazing.” A wry smile twisted Lena’s lips. “Yeah, I knew you'd make a great reporter, but after I heard your bleeding heart, pro-alien views, I was afraid you'd do a hatchet job on me.” Because, surely, any Super worth their sigil would do anything possible to smear the Luthor name. But, apparently, this particular alien was rather more open-minded than her fellow Kryptonian.</p>
<p>“Oh, I tried. I tried, I wrote a scathing article about your device.” Or not.</p>
<p>“And?” Lena asked, intrigued by Kara’s frankness.</p>
<p>“And...My boss tossed it. He made me re-do it.” Kara responded with a small self-deprecating shrug and laugh, bringing her hand up to readjust her glasses yet again.</p>
<p>“Well, that explains it.” Lena broke eye contact with the reporter next to her to look down at her lap, fidgeting with her fingers. <em>Of course, I should know better than to expect anyone to willingly think well of a Luthor.</em> Embarrassment prickled the back of her neck at the hope that had bloomed in her chest when she had first read the article.</p>
<p>“The funny thing is, I'm glad he did. I mean, not at first, but some things happened that made me rethink my position.” As Kara talked, her hands moved expressively, capturing Lena’s attention. <em>Oh god, this is not the time for your lesbian fascination with hands, dammit.</em></p>
<p>“Do tell.” Lena turned to face Kara more fully, propping her arm on the back of the couch and rested her head in her hand.</p>
<p>“I still think Alien Amnesty is a good thing, but, there are bad aliens out there…” Kara and Lena shared a brief chuckle at Kara’s admission. <em>Her change of heart must have something to do with the alien who attacked the President</em>. Lena remembered hearing something an hour or so on the news about Supergirl successfully bringing the would-be assassin to justice.</p>
<p>“Well, I'm glad you can see from my point of view.” Lena paused briefly, debating whether she should actually continue what she was about to say. Vulnerability was the anathema of all Luthors, but there was something about Kara that made Lena want to bare her soul, a dangerous impulse. “You know, when I was first adopted by the Luthors, I adored Lex. When he showed his true colors, I was crushed. I tried everything to reach him, bring him back to the side of good. But it was no use. I'd lost him. Finally, I realized that some people are just bad. And there is nothing you can do to change that. But, you can learn to protect yourself.”</p>
<p>“Yeah.” The blonde’s reply was soft and the smile that followed it was colored with a hint of something Lena couldn’t decipher, people had never been her strong suit anyway. This time Kara was the one to drop her gaze to her hands, the grin slipping slightly. Lena leaned forward instinctively, free hand coming up to hover just shy of Kara’s knee. Kara glanced at the hand and the brunette quickly retracted it before continuing the conversation.</p>
<p>“I’m sure you’ve come across your share of less than stellar people, being who you are.” Lena quirked an eyebrow in Kara’s direction. The blonde startled at the insinuation behind Lena’s innocuous comment, a blush painting the apple of her cheeks, apprehension in her eyes.</p>
<p>“Being who I am?” Kara asked, adjusting her glasses and shifting in her seat.</p>
<p>“You know, a journalist. Not to mention being the longest-lasting assistant to Cat Grant.” Lena smirked at Kara’s attempt to cover her discomfort. “There are more than enough bad apples in the upper echelons of the business world and you must have had to deal with several in your time.”</p>
<p>“Oh yes,” Kara groaned, rubbing at her eyes in exaggerated distress, “you wouldn’t <em>believe</em> how frustrating some of those men can be. It’s like having to meet a woman in her own office is some kind of personal insult!”</p>
<p>“Trust me,” this time Lena’s hand did make contact with Kara’s knee, a pang of thrill coursing through Lena’s chest (which she did her best to ignore), “I understand completely. Trying to organize meetings with my board of directors is like pulling teeth. Why are men so threatened by a powerful woman? Personally, I find that aspect to be quite attractive in a woman.” <em>Did that really just come out of my mouth?</em> Lena was aghast at how easily it was to flirt with the blonde. Luckily, her poker face was firmly in place, the brunette biting her lower lip and smirking.</p>
<p>“Oh, golly, wow.” Kara was clearly flustered at the brunette’s teasing, blush rising once more and hand fidgeting with her glasses and smoothing down her hair. This chuckle was far more awkward than the others Lena had heard so far. “Uh, yes, well, mhmm. I’d say a powerful woman is most definitely something to admire.”</p>
<p>Lena only hummed in assent, far too occupied with watching Kara squirm under her attention. <em>She is just too easy, </em>Lena thought. <em>I could get used to making a Super flush.</em> Lena had to look away and clear her throat at the images that flooded her brain following that particular thought. There were <em>far</em> more pleasurable ways of eliciting a blush from the blonde, but there was <strong>absolutely</strong> no way Lena should be thinking about that right now. <em>Gods, this woman will be the death of me.</em></p>
<p>Kara shot a quizzical look at Lena when she cleared her throat, an adorable crinkle appearing between her eyes and a small smile gracing her full lips.</p>
<p>“Yes, well, I really do appreciate you stopping by, Kara. After such a glowing review, I just had to express my gratitude in person.” Only then did Lena realize her hand still rested on Kara’s knee. She moved it as inconspicuously as she could, but the movement still caught the reporter’s gaze. Blue eyes flicked from her hand to Lena’s green. Kara bit her lip, mirroring the brunette’s action from just a minute before.</p>
<p>“It was nothing, Lena. Really, it’s just been wonderful getting to know you better and I’m glad you’ve given me the chance.”</p>
<p>“I might not have come to National City to make friends, but hopefully I’ve found one in you. Now I know who I should go to anytime I need a journalist.” She loved the genuine happiness that lit up Kara’s face at the word ‘friend.’ “Now, I’m sure you are an incredibly busy woman, so I won’t take up any more of your time. Thank you for stopping by. I’ll see you again soon?” The end of Lena’s sentence lilted up into a question, hoping Kara would share her desire to spend more time together. Initially, Lena had only wanted to spend time with Kara to get to know her brother’s sworn enemy better and to prod the Super’s ability. After the article and this latest visit, however, Lena enjoyed the way Kara seemed to light up whatever room she was in. She genuinely liked this enigma of a woman who was both a mild-mannered reporter and a brash, confident superhero.</p>
<p>“Yes, for sure! You are not what I expected, but I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing.” They both laughed and stood, shaking hands. And if Lena wasn’t imagining it, holding hands just a touch longer than the norm.</p>
<p>Lena walked with Kara to the doorway, waving goodbye when the blonde turned to look behind halfway down the hall to the elevator. Jess glanced surreptitiously from one woman to the other, which Lena stoically ignored, opting to retreat back into her office instead of wait for her assistant’s obvious questions.</p>
<p>-------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>Lena saw neither hide nor hair of Kara Danvers for the next few weeks. The CEO was kept insanely busy with her company’s acquisition of the disgraced Lord Technologies and her R&amp;D teams’ apparent ineptness in fixing the various setbacks with some of her more recent developments. Supergirl also seemed to be swamped with superhero duties, as well as the demanding schedule of journalism.</p>
<p>Her next encounter with the supernaturally endowed blonde came as quite a surprise. Kara quite literally burst into her office, Jess trailing anxiously behind the determined woman.</p>
<p>“Excuse me, you can't go in there. Stop...” Jess tried to tug Kara back out of the office to no avail. She turned apologetic eyes to Lena. “I swear I just blinked and she got right past me.”</p>
<p>“Lena, I’m sorry. This is my fault.” Kara strode briskly up to Lena’s desk, effortlessly shrugging off Jess’ attempts to stop her.</p>
<p>“She's so fast.” Jess complained. Lena saw Kara’s jaw clench and eyes roll at the assistant’s continued interruptions.</p>
<p>“I just need to talk to you.” Kara continued, ignoring Jess completely.</p>
<p>Lena had stood as soon as she heard Kara enter and now looked at her flustered assistant with amusement.</p>
<p>“Jess, will you make a note downstairs that Kara Danvers is to be shown in right away whenever possible?” Lena addressed Jess, her question clearly an order. Jess retreated from the office, defeat evident on her slumped shoulders.</p>
<p>“Really?” It truly shouldn’t be legal for confusion to look so adorable, but Lena couldn’t help the way her heart melted slightly at the surprised puppy-dog expression on Kara’s face. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“Now...How can I help?” Lena sat and crossed her legs, leaning forward in her chair, focused on the reporter standing in front of her.</p>
<p>“I...I think a friend of mine has gotten involved in something shady.” Kara looked uncharacteristically serious, wringing her hands anxiously and furrowing her brow.</p>
<p>“A friend?” Lena scoffed.</p>
<p>“No, an actual friend. And now he's missing. Do you know of a woman named Veronica Sinclair? She caters to people in your, um, your circles.”</p>
<p>“Tight dresses, tattoos like Lisbeth Salander? Yeah, I know Roulette. We went to boarding school together. I never liked her.” Lena recalled the arrogant, bitchy girl she was dorm-mates with. Veronica had topped out at an offensively orange 5 on Lena’s internal scale, but evidently things had changed in the years since they were teenagers. She hadn’t seen the woman since and, to be honest, she was more than happy to keep it that way.</p>
<p>“I need to find her.” Kara leaned down, bracing her hands on the desk and looked at Lena with earnest pleading.</p>
<p>“Well, that's the trick, isn't it? Her little fight clubs stay mobile.”</p>
<p>“But do you know where she's holding the next fight? I wouldn't ask if I had any other option.”</p>
<p>“I'm a Luthor, of course I'm invited to her little pop-up. Not that I'm interested in her type of entertainment.” Lena sighed and quickly wrote down the latest address for Roulette’s fight club. She’d had a hunch that it might come in handy and had made an effort to memorize every new invitation that arrived anonymously to her building. She stood, walking around the desk, and handed Kara the sticky note.</p>
<p>“Thank you. I owe you, big time.” Kara took the note with relief, gratitude filtering into her ocean blue eyes.</p>
<p>“Not at all. I know you'll be there for me when the time comes.” Lena’s eyes involuntarily drifted to look Kara over, admiring the rolled sleeves and fit of her blazer. Their eyes met again and Kara offered a solemn nod before exiting the office, undoubtedly to fly off as Supergirl to take down her latest enemy. In the meantime, Lena could help out with the less flashy work of keeping Roulette out of the game. It was time she made some calls.</p>
<p>--------------------------------------------</p>
<p>“I can’t believe they just had to let her go!” Kara exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air in clear frustration.</p>
<p>Lena and Kara were sitting at an outdoor table of Noonan’s together for an early lunch. Kara had wanted to thank Lena for her tip on Roulette’s location and Lena had eagerly accepted. She’d had Jess rearrange several meetings and phone conferences to accommodate, but it was worth it to actually have the time for a sitdown meal for once. Lena sat working steadily through a Greek kale salad while Kara’s plate held a truly enormous BLT and serving of fries, plus a side of sticky buns.</p>
<p>“Roulette has spent her life accumulating connections to the highest levels of society, like a spider in a web. There was no way the cops would have been able to actually throw her in jail.” Lena explained. “It’s unfortunate, but thankfully, she’ll never be able to start up her disgusting little club around here thanks to you and Supergirl.”</p>
<p>“Oh, well, I didn’t really do anything. Supergirl did all the heavy lifting.”</p>
<p>“Don’t be so dismissive of yourself, Kara. Supergirl might have beaten up the bad guys, but you’re the one who’s article brought the whole thing to light.” Lena didn’t know why she felt so compelled to reassure the Kryptonian, but it stung a little to see her devaluing her non-superheroing work. “Thanks to you, Veronica Sinclair won’t be able to get away with something like this again.”</p>
<p>“Huh, wow, thanks, Lena.” Kara blushed, ducking her head and adjusting her glasses. “I just wish they could’ve made the charges stick.”</p>
<p>Lena hummed in agreement, but didn’t comment further. What Kara didn’t know was that Lena had used her own extensive connections to ensure Roulette would be incapable of creating anymore illegal operations that preyed on aliens. It’s amazing how quick the rich and powerful are to shun someone when they feel their anonymity is threatened. Lena had let it slip that everyone who had attended any of Roulette’s investigations was now under intense FBI scrutiny. This might not exactly be true, but the paranoia was enough to convince most to avoid Roulette like the plague. No one needed more legal attention than absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>Kara made a face of disgust as Lena ate another forkful of her salad. She seemed personally offended by how green and healthy the brunette’s meal was.</p>
<p>“Ugh, Lena. I don’t understand how you can eat that.”</p>
<p>“Well, not all of us have such superhuman metabolisms like you seem to, Kara.” Lena rebutted, raising an eyebrow and taking another bite of salad.</p>
<p>“B-uh-no,” Kara spluttered, clearly searching for a comeback to Lena’s veiled reference to her secret. “It’s not superhuman, it’s just good genetics I guess. And I work out a lot, you know?” Kara’s pitch rose higher and higher on each word, until she practically squeaked out the last sentence. <em>I will never understand how her secret has lasted this long,</em> Lena chuckled to herself silently.</p>
<p>“Mm, no matter how you explain it, some people actually enjoy eating healthy. Kale happens to be delicious. Have you ever even tried it?”</p>
<p>“Gross! No! Why would I ever subject myself to that?”</p>
<p>The pair continued their banter and moved on to other topics, mindless of the passing time, until Kara’s phone buzzed, eliciting a startled jump from the blonde. She stammered out an excuse about work that was, frankly, an insult to Lena’s intelligence if she was actually meant to believe it. Kara and Lena got to their feet and the blonde shocked her by pulling Lena into a brief hug. She froze, muscles locking up at the unexpected contact. Kara was so warm, that was the first thing she noticed, warmer than a human would be or maybe Lena was just unusually cold. And surprisingly soft. Lena would’ve thought Supergirl to be all iron muscle and impervious skin. But Kara’s hug was gentle and yielding and felt like more of a home than Lena had known since before her mother died. Mostly, she was struck by how safe she felt in this woman’s arms. She processed all of this in the span of a few seconds before she was able to relax and return the hug. Kara noticed and released her all too quickly, ducking her head and touching her glasses as she backed up a step. A blush rose to both of the women’s cheeks and Kara broke the awkwardness of the moment by making her retreat down the street with a wave goodbye at a pace that was just a touch more than human. Lena stood unmoving, brain throwing up the blue screen of death as it began rebooting after that overstimulation of all her senses. She sank into her seat, impeccable posture fleeing in the wake of sheer gay panic. <em>Well, shite. This is going to be a problem</em>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love the idea of Lena "useless lesbian" Luthor figuring out just how irresistible Kara "ray of sunshine" Danvers XD. How is she going to react to this revelation? Is she going to pull a classic Lena, throwing up walls and isolating herself from Kara's friendship? Or will she pretend to be completely oblivious to how she's starting to feel for Kara and suppress the shit out of her feelings?</p>
<p>Feel free to send me your thoughts, feelings, conspiracy theories at <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/yashaisbae">yashaisbae</a> on tumblr. Love you guys!! &lt;3 &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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